PARTY PIES
Watch the replay at themercury.com.au
GLENORCHY Magpies are the inaugural women’s Statewide premiers after defeating the Ulverstone Robins at North Hobart Oval in a lowscoring affair on Sunday.
The inaugural Statewide women’s grand final was a part of the women’s All Stars competition which featured the best teams from around the state battling it out in search of the best women’s team in the Apple Isle.
The Robins were the 2021 NWFL premiers and Glenorchy was the SFLW premier and going into the clash neither side had tasted defeat in 2021. But by 3pm only the Magpies remained undefeated
after a hard fought 31-18 victory in front of a vocal North Hobart crowd.
In a tough and skilful opening quarter it was the Robins who drew first blood when vice-captain Hannah Martin soccered through the first goal of the match just minutes before quarter-time to give the northerners a sixpoint lead.
However, from there it was all Glenorchy with the SFLW premier starving its northern counterpart of scoring opportunities and only conceding one goal in the second and third quarters combined to take an 11-point lead going into the final quarter.
While the Robins fought valiantly until the final siren
they were not able to chase down the margin and the Magpies claimed a 13-point victory to be crowned inaugural
Statewide premiers. Glenorchy coach Dean Webster said after a long year it was a great reward for his side.
“It was awesome for these girls because they’ve worked extremely hard all year,” he said.
“The way they played today and worked for each other and tackled so hard it’s a tremendous effort by them all. It’s a long season and we train three nights a week and I can’t speak highly enough of this group.”
Webster said he was a fan of the All Stars competition which allowed the state’s best sides to play each other.
“I like it and I’m a big believer in statewide footy and
so if this is the closest thing we get then I’ll take it,” he said.
The Magpies had a number of strong contributors who led them to victory, with Brooke Barwick, Angelica Clark and Jemma Webster all strong contributors, while young Magpie Georgia Clark was named best on ground.
“It’s been incredible playing with all the girls today and they’ve been so supportive and it’s just been an amazing year. To top it off with this win is incredible,” Clark said.
The Robins were led by Tasmanian Devils duo Meghan Gaffney and Candice Belbin, along with a strong performance by captain Libby Haines.